Crimson Lives
by xKuroSeraphimx
Summary: ((AU Darkfic)) She promised she would run. He promised he would find her. But how would you run, when in the end, you wanted to be caught? AxA SxS JxM
1. Prologue

**Authoress Notes: **Hello, everyone! I'm back with another fic! I just had this in my mind for quite some time, and I just had to write it down (or type, but you know what I mean). It may not be great as my other fics, but (scratches head)… I'll do my best for you readers, okay? Well, I hope that you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Do I have to say this every time? Fine, I don't own YGO, of course. If you were to sue me, you'd only get a penny!

**Pairings: AtemxAnzu, **(you all should KNOW that) SetoxShizuka, JounouchixMai.

_**Warnings: **OOC-ness, mature themes, violence, and strong language. _

**Plot:**

((AU Darkfic)) She promised she would run. He promised he would find her. But how would you run, when in the end, you wanted to be caught? AxA SxS JxM

**Crimson Lives**

**By: xKuroSeraphimx**

**((start prologue))**

**Prologue**

It was on a full red moon night that she decided to run. Not 'run', as in taking a small jog, but as in run away. Although it felt more like _escaping_, it was still the same to her who ran through the shadows of night.

And in a sense, running away from _him_ was more risky than running during the day. For he was a creature of the night, a possessive, powerful, and dangerous man to be reckoned with. For now, he was away right from his home, giving her the opportune moment to run away from him, going out of one of the back doors, and into the forest that was near his home, leading to a main road to town.

But for how long he stayed away, she didn't know.

The brunette slipped through the shadows, her sapphire-colored eyes darting back and forth so she could avoid any branches that would whip at her face, or any roots that wanted to trick her into tripping them. She'd look like a blur to anyone who was nearby, like a ghost that was there, but wasn't there when they blinked.

She needed to get away. Fast.

When she came upon a main road, her hopes sprang up in anticipation, leaping out into the road with glee. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, looking around for any suspicious mishaps that might be near her, watching her. There was none, but she didn't let her guard down, to do so now was like shouting out to him that she was here, and not in his bed, awaiting him. She took a couple of steps forward, the black cloak around her whistled in the wind. She sensed no one around her. That was good, because if anything _was_, they'd…

"_Anzu,_" said a dark, deep and menacing voice behind her, causing her to jump in fright.

She, after swallowing her heart back down, whirled around and stared at the familiar depths of crimson-colored eyes that belonged to Mutou Atem. He had tri-colored hair, composed of silky gold bangs, black, and violet red edges all up in spikes, a face that was beautiful, yet seemed to be carved from ice, and a body that women craved for, he looked to have been a god on first sight. But his expression right now was grim, his lips pursed into a thin line, his brows knitted to a tight frown as he stared down at her, taking a few steps towards her.

Anzu cringed, taking several steps back. "… A-Atem…"

He narrowed his eyes even more. "Little angel, what are you doing?" he asked too softly in a calm voice that didn't fit well with the scene.

She scoffed, gaining some courage and straightening herself. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She asked calmly as well, not daring Atem to size her up.

Atem made a sound that would've been mistaken for laughter. "It seems to me that you're running away… Why, Anzu? Did _someone _else hurt you?" he asked slowly, yet his voice was a venomous hiss that had her shivering from the sound of it.

Anzu bit her lip for a moment before she said, "No… No one hurt me, Atem. Stop assuming someone did. I just… need to get away for a while…" she replied cautiously, knowing she was walking on dangerous ground, and she had to tread carefully or else.

He cocked an eyebrow at her before he shook his head. "Nice try, Anzu. You know you can't hide anything from me," he smirked devilishly, his crimson eyes roaming up and down her body. "You say you need to get away for a while. So, you want to play that game with me, Anzu? Fine. You hide, I'll seek."

"W-What?" she asked, startled by what he said. Then, in an instant, strong arms circled from behind her, trapping her. She started to squirm, but he didn't let go, he didn't even budge!

"Just remember, little angel, that I'll find you." Atem whispered into her ear, licking the lobe, sending electric tingles down her spine. "You can't resist me, you can't escape me. But then that wouldn't make the game exciting now, would it?" he paused to place a trail of moist kisses down her throat, flicking his tongue out to taste and tease her.

"So fly away, little bird. Fly away." He murmured into her ear. He hugged her tightly before letting her go. "I'll come and find you. And when you do, before you know it, you'll be under me, screaming my name again. _I'll find you_."

When Anzu finally caught her bearings, she turned to face him but he was no longer there, while a chilling breeze blew around her. The brunette shook her head. No, she needn't concern herself as to why Atem would let her away from his sight. He just thought it was a _game_. But no more. She promised she'd run, and she promised he wouldn't find her.

The only thing that made it harder was that he promised to find her.

**((scene change))**

Anzu shot up in bed, breathing heavily just as her watch started beeping noisily at a quarter to seven a.m. Her breathing came out in pants, she placed a hand upon her heart, closing her eyes, trying to calm her heart down, feeling her heart beat as if she had been running ten miles nonstop. Of course, she didnt't think she would have a dream of that night, that day. That happened four years ago.

And he was still searching for her.

She picked up her watch and turned it off. She looked around of the hotel room she bought for the night. It was dark, the moonlight creeping through the shades that covered the window. Then, she threw the covers aside and proceeded to bring out her leather bag, ready to pack.

That is until a sharp pain burst on her neck, and she clamped a hand on the joint where her neck and shoulder connected. Anzu bit her lower lip, hissing, in an attempt to stifle a shout that formed in her throat. After a while, the pain receded, lowering itself to a throbbing point.

Of course, the two puncture holes acted as a warning through pain.

A warning that Atem was near.

**((end prologue))**

Well, there you go! Hope you enjoyed, as I'll try to set up the next chapter if you want. Click on that little button and review, please! Thank you!


	2. Chapter I: Lost, then Found

**Authoress Notes: **OO Uh… Wow… Huh… Never expected to get 26 reviews for one chapter… But it's good! Keep it coming! Your reviews are what keep me going! Wow… Well, if I get another over 20 reviews, I'll update the next chapter half the time it usually takes for me to post the next, okay? I'll try it, so you guys could be happy, all right? Now then, onward to fic and please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Do I have to say this every time? Fine, I don't own YGO, of course. If you were to sue me, you'd only get a penny!

**Pairings: AtemxAnzu, **(you all should KNOW that) SetoxShizuka, JounouchixMai.

_**Warnings: **OOC-ness, mature themes, violence, and strong language. _

**Plot:**

((AU Darkfic)) She promised she would run. He promised he would find her. But how would you run, when in the end, you wanted to be caught? AxA SxS JxM

**Crimson Lives**

**By: xKuroSeraphimx**

**((start chapter))**

**Chapter 1: Lost, then Found**

The brunette slowly, cautiously slipped through the shadows to get through the gates the hotel had. The two puncture holes on her neck throbbed painfully as she got nearer to her destination, but she ignored it, quietly walking to the gates, her black leather bag over her shoulder.

Thankfully, the shadows the trees gave around the hotel cast enough shadow for her to move through. Not even her footsteps were heard crunching the grass beneath her feet. Once she rounded the corner, seeing the gate, Mazaki Anzu let a small smile tug at her lips before…

"Yo, man, why are we even _here_, anyway?" asked a familiar voice right at the gates. Immediately, Anzu pressed herself against the wall where a large shadow loomed over her and the wall she was up against. Slowly, Anzu slipped back a bit into the shadow, so that the vision before her was all misty, yet transparent to see.

Good thing she knew how to use most of her _powers_.

Then her eyes widened, her heart nearly stopping as she saw a second figure stand next to the first one, a silhouette with an all too familiar hair cut.

"I sense her here, Jounouchi," said a deep, menacing voice that had her shiver, a voice that haunted her dreams and thoughts. "She's close by, actually…"

Then they came into view, the moonlight giving them a sort of ethereal glow, as if they weren't _really _there physically. Katsuya Jounouchi walked swiftly ahead of a tall, yet only a few two inches below him, but still tall, a quiet Mutou Atem, his leather black trench coat billowing behind him as he walked before Jounouchi stopped, turning to face him.

"Are you _really _sure about this, Atem? I mean she's been eluding you for four years. _Four_!" The blonde-haired vampire held up four fingers into Atem's neutral face. "Not even the best thieves or trick masters can be able to escape from you that long!"

"That's because she's different, Jounouchi. They're just a bunch of idiots that I don't give shit about," Atem hissed back in reply, crossing his arms, his crimson-colored eyes roaming the area around them. "She's _different_ than normal humans, I don't even think she's human at all. But I will find her, no matter what. I promised her that." He added with a cold smirk.

She saw Jounouchi shudder slightly. "Man… You can scare even the coldest people with that smirk. You really gotta lay it off, Atem." He said.

"Get a move on, Jounouchi…" Atem replied back rather calmly, though there was the subtle hint of a threat beneath it. Either Jounouchi got the hint or he just wanted to get it over with as the blonde vampire walked in the hotel in a hurry.

Atem narrowed his eyes at Jounouchi's back before he unfolded his arms and looked around. Immediately, his blood-colored eyes traveled unto Anzu's form, and Anzu felt like her lungs had just been constricted with tight rope. He was looking right _at her_, his eyes boring into hers, never leaving.

Long moments passed, and neither both moved an inch. Cold sweat ran down her brow as the seconds lengthened, the minutes turned to hours before Atem began to move toward her. Then…

"Yo, Atem! What are you doing? Come on!" Jounouchi called, appearing at the entrance to the hotel. Jounouchi walked over to the tri-haired vampire and looked at the same thing he was looking at.

Jounouchi arched an eyebrow up when he saw nothing, only shadow. He turned to face Atem and waved a hand in front of his face, only stopping when Atem shook his head and growled at him.

"Let's go…" he said rather sulkily, stalking off. Jounouchi looked back to Anzu, then Atem, and then Anzu before he ran after Atem, asking him what he was really looking at. Once they were gone, and she sensed that they were a little away from her, Anzu got out from her hiding spot, thoroughly relieved that they had left.

Quietly and cautiously, Anzu moved towards the gate, her heart beating loudly and erratically in her ear. Once she stepped out of the gates, the brunette looked back, thinking about the two vampires she saw until she shook her head and ran away…

Ran away from_ him_…

**((scene change))**

Anzu walked for hours afterwards, feeling the lack of sleep catch up to her. She yawned and wiped the tears that leaked out of her eyes as she did so. She was now in some downtown street of Domino; the sky was becoming lighter and lighter as the sun began to rise again, turning the sky a shade of light purple and blue.

'_It seems that nowadays, the one thing I'm good at is escaping…_' Anzu thought sadly, running a hand through her chocolate-colored hair. "The thing is, I don't know where to escape _to_ anymore…" she said aloud to herself.

Which was right, Atem seemed to know where she would be and when, seconds after she thought of it, and was already on his way to her, and the sapphire-eyed woman had been almost everywhere in Japan, eluding him and leading him into false truths that she was there. In her mind, she knew that sooner or later he would find her. Anzu knew the tri-haired vampire kept scouts on the air stations and docks, so transportation on boat or airplane was out. She might as well dig her own grave and hide in there instead…

Anzu's thoughts were cut short when two hooded figures, one slightly taller than the other, stood before her. Anzu stopped, frowning slightly at the two men who were only a few feet away from her. Soon, her mind began thinking up who these men were, and what their intentions might be. Immediately, her mind thought of Atem, and that they must be vampires that he had hired to look for and bring her to him.

"And who the hell are you guys?" she asked quietly, the hand on the strap of her leather bag tightened as she said that. Something wasn't right here she could feel it. It felt weird, sort of, that there would be two men after her in this part of the city. Anzu felt as though someone else was around…

The two men chuckled softly to each other. Then the tall one spoke, "Mazaki Anzu, eh? We've been looking for you…" he murmured quietly to her while the other one laughed again like a buffoon.

"And _why _are you looking for me, hmm? Who do you work for, and what do you want with me?" Anzu asked, her hand slowly moving to the dagger in her holster that was strapped to her right leg.

The shorter hooded figure said, "Well, that's not any of your business, eh missy? So if you would kindly cooperate with us, then things won't go… bad, if you know what I mean?"

Anzu snorted. "Hmph. Like hell I'd let you take me without a fight!" she said, taking out her dagger and dropping her bag.

Just as she dropped her bag, the two men screeched, making Anzu think that they were vampires before the tall hooded figure jumped into the sky while the other charged forward to her, their claws outstretched. Anzu expertly back flipped to avoid the smaller one's attack and blocked the other one with her dagger, slicing his arm. He growled and quickened his pace, so fast that he was in front of Anzu's face in seconds and plunged his hand through her stomach.

The smaller hooded figure snarled noisily at his partner. "Idiot! We were supposed to _capture_ her, not _kill_ her, you fool!"

Before the other hooded figure could reply, Anzu grinned and punched him squarely in the jaw, causing him to step back a bit. What he didn't expect was that the Anzu that had hit him was a fake as it disappeared and the real one was in the air, and had dug her dagger into his shoulder. The force she put into her blow sent him on his back as she fell on top of him and took out her dagger. Anzu kicked the vampire in the face before she turned to the other one who screeched again and rushed to her.

Stepping off the injured vampire, Anzu went for him as well, her dagger rose, poised to inflict severe damage even for a vampire. He swung his claws but she ducked, avoiding the blow that might've knocked her out, then she brought her dagger up, heading straight under his skull.

Then that same pain on her neck erupted, sending painful waves to her head, shaking her eyesight that it missed the vampire's head by a few inches. Anzu knelt on the ground, clutching the spot where it hurt, the pain spreading to her head that it gave her a headache close to a migraine. The brunette clamped her teeth tight against each other; the adrenaline that built up inside her was jarred back into her throat from screaming out in pain. The vampire blinked questioningly under the veil of his hood before he took this opportunity to kick her in the face.

Surprisingly, she didn't fly very far and was up seconds after she was hit. But the vampire that she had stabbed was up and in seconds, in front of her face. He grabbed a hold of Anzu's face, and then sent it back into the cold, hard concrete, nearly breaking her skull in two. She let out a ragged scream before she went limp.

The two vampires stood over her form, breathing heavily. One wiped the sweat off his brow while the other placed a hand on the injury Anzu inflicted on him.

"Damn… Who knew this bitch was so persistent and powerful…" the taller vampire said exasperatedly.

The shorter one growled fiercely. "Hey, she's lucky she's to be brought alive, or we would have sucked her dry. Or rather," he sneered, stroking a hand on Anzu's cheek. "But orders are orders, unfortunately. C'mon, we must go, the sun's coming up pretty soon. The boss told us to bring her." With that said, he hoisted the unconscious brunette over his shoulder and they both disappeared from their spot, unaware a pair of indigo black eyes watched the whole scene with a dangerous gleam in their eyes.

Then he walked to the bag that the woman Anzu had slung over her shoulder before the fight. He picked it up, examining it very closely before his eyes trailed over to the spot where the men took her. Then the man looked at the horizon in where the sun was coming up, a gentle breeze lightly blowing through, whirling his white-colored hair around him.

He sighed, picked up his cell and placed it next to his ear. "Hello? Yes. It's me. Guess what happened here, Seto. I'm sure Atem will be very pleased to hear this… But when he hears what happened to Anzu… Be ready to wipe buckets full of blood off walls…"

**((scene change))**

"Yo! We're back!" Jounouchi announced to the vampires that stood in Kaiba Seto's office as he walked through the automatic sliding door with a sulky looking Atem in tow.

Kujaku Mai turned to face the male blonde, curiosity in her violet-colored eyes. "Really? Finally…" then her eyes scanned the two vampires and found that no one else was with them. Then she frowned, knowing that their search was in vain, leaving them empty-handed. "So… You couldn't find Anzu again?"

Jounouchi shook his head. "Nope. Nadda. Atem here," he pointed to the vampire behind him. "Said that he feltor rather, sensed that she was there. But we found nothing. Yet her scent was in there, though it was faint."

At this, Jounouchi Shizuka arched an eyebrow up. "So… She must've been there for a while… but sensed you coming. I'm still wondering how she's been able to elude you, every time you hear something that tells you that she was there." The auburn-haired Jounouchi said.

Atem sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I have a suspicion of how she's been doing that… But I'm not sure." He replied slowly.

Seto folded his hands in front of his face. "Care to share this… _suspicion_, Atem?" he asked calmly, his cold, cobalt blue eyes scanning Atem intently.

The tri-haired vampire was about to reply when the phone on Seto's desk began to ring. Irritatingly, Seto growled and picked it up. "Hello? Hikaru? … What happened, Hikaru? Atem? Fine, tell me what it is you saw." After that, everyone in the room watched the CEO listen to the other vampire on the line. Then the male brunette quirked an eyebrow up in surprise, then nodded for a few moments before he placed the phone back unto the receiver.

Atem walked up to the desk. "… So, that was Hikaru? Did he have anything he had to say to me?" he asked curiously, his interests perked when he heard Seto say his name.

A cold smile tugged at Seto's lips, and then Atem was smiling along with him, knowing that the news that Seto was about to tell him would be good.

"Well, Atem, it seems you'll be finding your woman sooner than you think…" he murmured softly.

**((scene change))**

_The rain poured on, pattering angrily on the buildings and the ground. The young girl panted heavily as the man stood before her, holding out a black gun to her head, sleek with the rain being poured on it._

"_Why… W-Why are… you doing this…" the girl croaked, looking up from the blood, rain, and tears at the dark-haired man, looking back at sapphire-colored eyes._

"_I hate it, little sister, I hate it." He replied calmly, yet his eyes held a fierce rage filled with contempt. "It doesn't matter anymore… Heh. You're lucky, sister… I'll let you live… Only to live a meaningless life, a life filled with hate, anguish… Yes, little sister. Live. Live in hating me. Grow and live. I'll be waiting, little sister. I'll be waiting until you kill me… Until then…" he cocked the gun between her eyes and sneered._

"_Goodbye, Anzu…"_

_That was when he pulled the trigger._

**((scene change))**

Anzu woke up, her head throbbing painfully. She found herself on a plush bed, she raised her head to scan her surroundings and found herself in a rich looking room. But her vision was still blurry, the images moved like a slow pendulum, and she closed her eyes to try and ease the pain in her head. It eased slightly, but the back of her head hurt so bad, it felt like someone had drummed a nail through her head.

The brunette looked up again, slowly, and found that her wrists and ankles were tied with rope. She twisted her wrists and ankles, but that only ended up with the result of her wrists being rubbed raw. Anzu hissed slightly, frustrated that she ended up in this situation and that her head hurt. That is, until she smirked. Like rope could confine her for so long, she thought proudly. Then she looked up around the corners of the ceiling and found a camera watching her at one of the corners.

'_Stupid fools… I'll be out of here before they know it…_' she thought smugly to herself and raised her wrists up.

To the camera, she promptly raised her middle fingers and flashed her tongue in defiance.

**((scene change))**

As the vampires watched the captive woman do the middle finger with both of her hands, the three growled angrily at the screen, as if she was able to see what they were doing as well.

"The little bitch should know where she's standing right now…" said a vampire that sat in front of the screen. Then he turned his head to another vampire behind him with gray-colored hair. "Why can't we just finish her off? Why the hell do we need her to lure him here, anyway?"

The vampire snorted in response. "Because, you insolent little twit, that woman is what that damnable vampire has been looking for, for four years! It's sure to work, with his woman in our hands, he'll comply to our wishes and we'll have our revenge."

Then another vampire that stood at the door spoke, "But sir… I heard he's really dangerous, and that anyone that had messed with him was never seen again the next day, especially when it came to her. I don't think—"

"No one cares what you think, you fool!" the gray-haired vampire hissed back. "Don't think I know that! Just shut up, and let me do this! It's near nighttime already, then we'll send the signal, and he'll come to us."

With that, he turned back to the screen, only to find that the brunette wasn't there anymore.

He let out an angry screech and stormed out of the room in long, forceful strides with the two lesser vampires close behind him. He would _not_ let that insolent wench foil his plans for revenge! He needed her to have _him _come to them!

Although unknowingly, his wish was soon to come true as the sun finally set, and Atem would have bodies hit the floor in pools of blood.

**((scene change))**

Anzu slipped out of the back door and to the backyard, pressing herself against the building that had tried to keep her captive, her restraints off and having her free.

Thankfully the shadows were everywhere in this house, she thought when she reached the kitchen of the house, finding it empty and found a suit of armor next to the doorway with a pike in hand. Anzu then kicked the suit of armor, and jumped back in time to have her wrists being freed, easily avoiding any fingers being cut off, but the pike clattered unto the floor noisily and after removing the ropes around her ankles (nearly tripping over them), ran into the shadows again.

She walked a few more, and then unglued herself from the wall, running off with glee, knowing that her captors won't be able to find her anymore. When Anzu passed by a huge pine tree, a man rounded a corner, stopping Anzu dead in her tracks.

Anzu's eyes widened when she set her sapphire-colored eyes on the new stranger, her heart beating erratically, time seemed to have slowed down as well as fear welled up inside her, her adrenaline rushing through her blood, wanting to have her scream, but she swallowed it down.

'_Oh no… Oh God no, please… It… He can't _be_ here…_' she thought frantically, feeling her feet being rooted on the spot.

The man looked up and smirked. He took several steps, his stride slow, but held the cunningness of a predator, his smile widening as he came close to the frozen brunette, his crimson-colored eyes glinting dangerously, something inside him screaming for him to take her away now.

"So little angel, I have found you," he chuckled softly, but Anzu caught the malicious tone beneath it, the hunger and want in his eyes. Atem smiled coldly, wildly, baring his inch-long teeth at the sight of her.

"And so the game ends, Anzu…"

**((end chapter))**

Well? Was it good? Bad? I love possessive fics, and I've wanted to do one for a long time, so… Your opinion please? Tell me your thoughts of this chapter in a review when you click on that little button down there! See ya!


	3. Chapter II: Broken Butterfly

**Authoress Notes: **Hello, everyone! Thank you _SOO _much for the 50 reviews for this story! (hugs everyone) I'm glad that everyone likes this and I'm sorry for the grammar errors in the story. I've been doing this for quite some time, and I still haven't gotten it right. (sweat drops) Oh well, I'll never be great anyway this is just for fun! And I'm sorry for the delay in posting this chapter; I was quite busy with my **AlbelNel **fics of SO3 (StarOcean: Till The End of Time). Ehehe… Sorry, but I'm just in _LOVE _with the couple now. But I recommend the game! It's very good with a good storyline as well! Anyway, enough of my rant, enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Do I have to say this every time? Fine, I don't own YGO, of course. If you were to sue me, you'd only get a penny!

**Pairings: AtemxAnzu, **(you all should KNOW that) SetoxShizuka, JounouchixMai.

_**Warnings: **OOC-ness, mature themes, violence, and strong language. _

**Plot:**

((AU Darkfic)) She promised she would run. He promised he would find her. But how would you run, when in the end, you wanted to be caught? AxA SxS JxM

**Crimson Lives**

**By: xKuroSeraphimx**

**((start chapter))**

**Chapter 2: Broken Butterfly**

Anzu was rooted on the spot, her whole body frozen with shock, her sapphire-colored eyes wide with fear as she stared at Atem's cold, cruel face. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as the tri-haired vampire took a few steps toward her, his steps crushing the ground beneath him, slowly, dangerously, never leaving his crimson-colored eyes from her face. The brunette wanted run, wanted to escape, but found that she could not will her limbs to move.

He stopped, only a few feet away from her, narrowing his eyes at her, before he smiled, that same, cold and alluring smile on his lips that Anzu couldn't help but remember the feel of them against her skin until she shook her head, steeling her nerves and glared at him as well.

She wouldn't fall for his trap.

"So… We meet again, little angel," he murmured huskily with a seductive edge in his voice. "I've finally found you after so long…"

She took a step back, wanting so badly to stay away from him, but couldn't, as her body warred against her mind, fighting off her mind's warnings of him. Anzu spoke, "Atem… I—"

"I've let this game go on for too long, Anzu," Atem cut in sharply, taking another step towards her. "It was fun while it lasted, but it had to end sometime. You should understand that I don't let _anything _of mine, leave me forever. But first things first…"

Anzu held in her breath as he contemplated what to do with her. She could've taken this opportunity to run into the shadows, but she knew he would be on her in seconds if she even made a move to escape him again. Yet Anzu could feel that he was leashing in his anger and annoyance away from her, which, on Anzu's behalf, was a good thing because he was a deadly vampire, dangerous for his temper that could even freeze hell twice over if provoked.

She should know, of course, he displayed his temper many times to her before.

Then he spoke, his voice cutting her thoughts like a sharp dagger slicing a twig.

"Anzu… I must ask, why did you want to leave in the first place?" he asked too softly, crossing his arms in a dignified manner, eyeing her intently, yet she could see the rage in his eyes, and she knew that she had to choose her words carefully.

But it wouldn't be the words that would probably make him go mad, she thought, it might be what she would say…

Bowing her head, Anzu said, "I… I didn't…" she started, but couldn't find anything to say to him. Well, what could she say? She had a lot of reasons for leaving the life that he offered her, but those reasons would most likely land her in a grave that she should've walked into a long time ago.

"You didn't what, Anzu? What would've been better than the life that I gave you? Hmm? What would have been better than getting anything you wanted, whenever you wanted it?" Atem questioned, trying his damnedest to hide the wild tone in his voice. "I'd do anything you'd ever want me to, give you anything you asked, Hell, I'd even give you the world, if you wanted it. Only to just stay by my side. And yet—"

"I didn't want that, Atem!" Anzu shouted, cutting him off, surprising him slightly with her answer. "You see? I didn't want all those things; I didn't want all those gifts…! All I wanted was for you to stay with me as well, but I…"

… _Couldn't have that…_

The words hung in the air, unspoken, but clearly understandable. Anzu was breathing, as if she finally had a heavy weight lifted off of her. But no, that wasn't even half of it. That was only a small portion of it.

Anzu began again, taking in a large amount of air as if it was the last thing that might save her from whatever was causing her trouble. "And… I didn't _want _you to kill my enemies for me. You could've just left them alone! Just because they harmed me, doesn't mean—"

"It means a whole lot to me, Anzu," Atem snarled, his crimson-colored eyes narrowing dangerously into slits. "Whoever even dares to hurt you deserve to be killed by me. I won't allow any harm come to you, and let it go unpunished. Those bastards got what they deserved."

"Atem! How could—"

But he cut her off with a shake of his head. "That is enough, Anzu. I'm taking you with me, and that's final. The game's over." With that, he proceeded towards her.

Anzu's sapphire eyes widened with fear as he stepped closer. "Atem, wait!"

"Hold it right there!"

All of a sudden, three male mortal guards in black suits and sunglasses appeared around the corner from where Atem came from, pointing guns at Atem. Atem paused in his tracks, flickering his ruby-colored eyes at them, his expression blank and unreadable. Panic whirled around Anzu's stomach, churning it into tight knots as she knew what the tri-haired vampire was thinking, what he was about to do.

"Who are you and what are you going to do with that woman?" One guard asked, raising the point of his gun between Atem's eyes. "If you're planning on going anywhere with that wench, think again! She's needed here!"

Atem's left eye twitched as the guard addressed Anzu as a "wench." He chuckled darkly, fully turning around to face the three guards. Anzu shivered in fear at the sound of his voice as he spoke, deadly and menacing that she even saw the three men shudder in fear as well.

"Needed here?" he repeated slowly, smirking widely, baring his long, canine teeth. "Why is she needed here? What do you plan in using her for, hmm?" Atem paused for a moment as a cold breeze blew by before his smirk widened after reading their minds. "So, I see now. To lure me here, is it? Well, you got what you wanted…"

Fear was evident in the guards' eyes behind the thick sunglasses as realization dawned on them as to whom they were facing. "No, wait. You can't be—"

His sentence was cut short with a bone crushing snap as Atem cleanly snapped the man's neck. The body dropped to the floor with a loud thump. One of the two other guards trembled violently as he quickly pointed his gun at Atem's face with a fearful cry, but as soon as he pointed his weapon, Atem suddenly appeared before him and crushed his hand into a bloody pulp, causing him to drop his weapon before Atem sank his teeth into the man's throat, sucking him dry, a blood-curdling scream echoing throughout the whole area.

The last guard was too stunned by what he saw to even help his fellow from his imminent death. It was only until he saw the body fall as well, pale and lifeless, that he noticed that the vampire was nowhere to be seen. He whirled his head around and when he turned to his right, the barrel of a gun was shoved into his mouth, and before he could even register what was going on…

_**BANG!**_

The man's head exploded in a bloody spray as Atem pulled the trigger of his own sleek, custom-made black gun, sending a special made bullet into his brain. The tri-haired vampire smiled cold, brutal smile at the sight before him, tucking his gun back in its holster and turning to face the brunette.

Anzu had her head turned away, her eyes shut tightly to prevent herself from even looking at what Atem did to the three men. Why bother? She already knew what he did to his victims. Sometimes quick and painless or, slow and torturously painful before the killing blow was dealt after he had some '_fun_' with his victims, making them scream. It didn't matter which, it still was gruesome to see him kill.

The sounds of grass being crushed under Atem's feet made Anzu slowly open her eyes and look at his face, not wanting to see the mess he made with the three mortal men, even though she had seen worst. She shivered at the look on his face, the cold smile upon his lips, the dangerous, raw look in his eyes that had a malevolent gleam in them as he inched closer to her.

"Atem—" She began, but was cut off by an arrogant grunt from him.

"I suspect that the foolish bastards that captured you are already paying the price for doing what they did to you," Atem said too softly, not bothering to hide the malicious tone in his voice, the soft croon that he spoke with when he was ready to kill, ready to cause some damage. "I ordered Seto and the others to kill those vampires, I'm sure you'll be pleased to find their mangled corpses."

No hesitation, no remorse in his words and voice as Atem said that, causing Anzu to shudder again. This was another reason why she left him. She didn't want to get others involved in her life, in fear that if they do something to her, Atem would immediately jump on it and probably kill whoever had done the harm to her, friend or foe, it didn't matter to him. Killing was natural in his case. Then again, killing was so commonplace in their world, that even if someone important in society died, no one would even bat an eyelash or shed a tear.

It was that cruel of a world they lived in.

When she thought of that, Anzu remembered the words of what _he _said about their world. That it was a cruel place and that you had to be strong or else you would be lying on the ground in your own blood. That alone touched a raw nerve in her, and she shook her head to wipe _his _voice out of her mind.

Atem placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "So now, you're coming back with me and that's final—"

What Atem didn't expect was a fist to connect squarely on his jaw, sending him sending him a few feet back a bit. It kind of hurt, just a slight sting as he stared bewilderedly at a glaring Anzu who had thrown the rather hard punch at him.

"Anzu—!"

Without a second thought, Anzu ran into the shadow of the pine tree and disappeared. Atem's crimson-colored eyes widen with shock before his teeth were bared in an angry snarl, as he knew that Anzu was fleeing from him again.

He was losing her _again_!

Atem swore so loudly, he nearly shout out his colorful choice of words before he disappeared from his spot, not going to let Anzu have her way once again, following her lingering scent to where she must be going.

**((scene change))**

_It was a bright morning in the city of Domino. The sky was cloudless and a gentle breeze blew by, making it a good opportunity for a younger Anzu to take a stroll around her huge garden in her backyard._

_Passing by large, old oak trees, Anzu's innocent sapphire-colored eyes spotted a butterfly caught in a spider's web in a bush nearby. Slowly, the little girl walked toward it, a curious look on her face as she saw the butterfly move and flail around the web, moving it slightly to try and free itself but to no avail. She bent slightly on her knees, reaching out tentative small hands with the intention of freeing the butterfly from its predicament._

_Then all of a sudden, another hand, slightly larger than her own, clamped tightly around the winged insect, crushing it and tearing the spider web apart. Anzu's eyes widen as she looked up along the length of the person's arm and peered into her older brother's face._

"_It's best to end its life like this, Anzu," he said quietly, straightening from his slightly hunched position. "It was inevitable. It would've died anyway. Either a slow, painful death, or a quick and painless one. Which do you think this butterfly would choose, hmm?" He asked, opening his hand and showing a once beautiful butterfly, now lay crumpled and broken in his open palm, its wings torn and distorted. "It's rather ironic for such a beautiful thing to die this way, now that I think about it…" He said, a sickly innocent smile tugging at his lips._

_Anzu slightly stuttered over her words as she looked at the limp and frail little thing, distraught at the sight before her, but managed to speak, "But we could have saved it! Why did you do that?"_

_Her brother narrowed his sapphire-colored eyes at her, his dark brows knitting into a tight frown on his face before he let the broken pieces of the butterfly fall into the grass. "Why? Don't ask why, Anzu. You're too naïve to realize the fine line between life and death. You need to realize, Anzu, that if you're not strong, then you're better off dead anyway because it's a cruel world outside our home, and no one is going to give a damn if you died or not if you don't make a name for yourself." With that, he turned to walk back to their home, slightly feeling frustrated._

_Until he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his back to her, and he knew that his younger sister was still looking at the crumpled butterfly on the ground. The frown on his face deepened and he said, "The strong live, the weak die, and mercy, my dear little sister, is for fools. Remember that if you want to keep up with me." And he moved on without another word, leaving Anzu to ponder about his words, but she didn't understand._

_She didn't understand at all._

**((scene change))**

Anzu stepped out of the shadows, gasping for breath as if she was being suffocated in the shadows once she knew that she was a clear distant away from Atem and the others. Looking around, she found herself in a dark alleyway, and knew, from the looks of things, that she was somewhere in downtown Domino City. She growled slightly, knowing that Atem would be hot on her trail and that she had to move on. Decision made, she ran out of the alleyway and into the secluded, dark street, the full moon above her casting a faint glow on the world.

Then, her keen ears picked up the low roar of a motorcycle coming from behind her, yet it was steadily coming faster and faster, the low roar now growing louder and louder as the motorcycle came closer and closer to her from behind.

Anzu turned around, just in time to see a blade aim for her neck and duck underneath it, just as a sleek black motorcycle curved around her to stop a few feet away. Anzu stood up and faced the bright light the vehicle lit in the street before the rider moved slightly around her, moving the blinding light away from her so that she got a good enough glimpse of the rider.

"Hikaru!" Anzu asked, surprised to see him.

Hikaru sat on the black motorcycle, staring at her with glazed, indigo black eyes that peeked beneath milk-colored bangs. He still looked the same, yet his aura was radiating a menacing glow. He still wore his trademark white trench coat that had a long slit in the back, the same tight, high-collared black muscle shirt that clearly showed the chiseled muscles beneath, while wearing the same leathery black pants with several belts around his waist, the scabbard of his sword attached to one of the belts while his feet were adorned with hard black boots. A cold, crisp wind blew around them, causing his long, white-colored hair that was held in a high ponytail to billow around him.

Anzu glared slightly as Hikaru set his bike steady and stood off the seat. "You bastard…" she hissed. "What the hell was that for!"

He shrugged nonchalantly, dismissing the threatening tone in her voice. "I was testing to see if you were still alert as ever. I'm rather pleased to find that you have not been slacking." He replied calmly, gazing into her eyes.

Anzu's left eye twitched slightly at his answer. Testing! He could've very well cut her head off if she didn't know any better. And she knew for a fact that Hikaru was very deadly with his sword.

Then the alarm bells in her head rang when she remembered that Hikaru was with Atem the last time she had seen them. Or rather, when she met Atem, Hikaru joined up with them a few days afterward, and, seeing his good and deadly skills with a blade, Atem let him tag along. Putting her guards up, her hand automatically going to her dagger holster, she prepared for a fight that would probably soon to come.

But she needed to run. She knew that Atem was coming after her soon, and Hikaru was delaying her further attempts to escape.

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Anzu asked quietly, edging her hand closer to the holster.

Hikaru closed his eyes for a moment before he reopened them and pointed his long sword, Tsukikage, at her. "You got that right." He replied just as quietly.

Silence reigned on between them and when a dark cloud covered the moon for a few moments and disappeared, that was when Anzu and Hikaru charged at each other. Since he was a vampire, he was quicker and stronger than her, but she knew his ways. Hikaru began with a downward strike, which she effectively sidestepped and in a second, had her dagger out and was making its way to his neck. Hikaru blocked her weapon and threw her off guard, and in his momentum, swung a vicious sideswipe at her that grazed her stomach.

Anzu took several step backs, seeing flecks of blood splash on the ground before Hikaru swung his arm back and she blocked it. But he was a lot stronger than her than she thought he would be and broke their lock and went for her again. The next few moments of their battle had Anzu dodging Hikaru's lightning fast swipes and lunges by a hair and when he was left wide open from a downward strike, Anzu took this opportunity to summon a Shadow doppelganger of herself and knock Hikaru back with enough force to leave him dazed for a few moments.

Both Anzus grinned before the fake shadow one disappeared. And instead of further attacking Hikaru, Anzu ran to Hikaru's bike and mounted on it, smiling just as Hikaru stood up. "Don't mind if I borrow this, do you? Thanks, Hikaru!" With that, she sped off in a hurry before Hikaru had enough time to go after her.

Hikaru just stood there, gazing at the fading figure of Anzu leaving with his bike. He knew he could catch up to her, even if she was on his bike, but at that moment, Atem appeared at his side, his arms crossed as he too stared at the silhouette of the fleeing brunette.

"You're late," Hikaru said simply to the tri-haired vampire, wiping the corner of his mouth of blood.

Atem grunted slightly before turning to face him. "We could just catch her right now, but…"

Hikaru scoffed, sheathing Tsukikage back in its scabbard. "I suppose our fight confirmed of what you thought Anzu was, hmm?" he asked, staring at the moon.

A small smile curved up Atem's lips as a dark thought passed through his mind. "Yes… Now I know for a fact that my little angel is a Shadow Master, or a Shadow Manipulator,the last survivor from the sudden genocide of her race." Then his grin turned into a full feral smile as he licked his lips, looking expectantly at the direction Anzu disappeared off to.

"Now I want her even more…"

**((end chapter))**

Sorry for the long wait, people! (bows numerously) I just had a rough time planning this out, and plus, my cousin would some times hog the computer! And like I said, I was busy with my **AlbelNel **fics! So please forgive the late update! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you want the next, click on that button down there and review! I'll probably update another story of mine, so, see you!


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